Sky Bet Sunday Series: Oldroyd holds strong hand in search of York glory

Racing has been the constant for Geoff Oldroyd since riding his first winner over jumps in 1963. After switching codes, Oldroyd, the champion apprentice of 1968, rode for another 26 years on the Flat prior to taking out a training license in 1984. 

Fast forward a few more decades to 2021, when at the age of 74, Oldroyd returned from a very brief ‘retirement’ to train for Bond Thoroughbreds at Pocklington, North Yorkshire. 

For most, the name Bond fits hand in glove with ‘007’ but in Horse Racing circles, the name Bond is most associated with York Racecourse, and that is where the Oldroyd/Bond partnership heads this weekend for the 2025 finale of the Sky Bet Sunday Series. As Oldroyd explains, 

“York is special. It is all about Reg Bond, he was a patron there. His colours are all there and he has a little monument to him and his horses there. We would sooner target York than anywhere else; it is our Royal Ascot if you like. We go to York to remember Reg and carry his colours. The Ebor meeting is always a bit special.” 

It was a case of so near so far for Oldroyd and Bond Thoroughbreds at this year’s Ebor Festival with Air Force One third in the Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Handicap, Pocklington beaten a head and a neck in the Sky Bet Constantine, and Big Leader beaten a short head in the Sky Bet Mile. 

“We just hit the crossbar, didn’t we? They all ran big races; we had our horses ready for those races. They ran up to their marks, running real good races, so everyone was happy.” 

Air Force One, winner of the Jump Jockeys’ Nunthorpe in July, is set to contest the Sky Bet Super Sub Sprint Handicap, where he could renew rivalries with the likes of Vintage Clarets and Squealer, as well as clashing with the Sky Bet Sunday Series £100,000 bonus winner Spring Is Sprung. With some rain forecast prior to Sunday, Oldroyd continues to monitor the weather. 

“Air Force One would go on good ground but I don’t think he’d want it any softer. I suppose he’s quite a quick ground horse to be fair. I’m happy with him and we will aim higher – Listed or Group 3 races – eventually.” 

Pocklington will contest the feature Listed Sky Bet Starman Garrowby Stakes, this being his second attempt in this grade having finished fifth to Elite Status in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury in May 2024. 

“For Pocklington, the ground doesn’t matter so much. He’d go on good ground and might even go on the slow side of good, but he is virtually a top of the ground horse as well.” 

“He’s had one of two setbacks. Unfortunately, he got a hairline fracture of his splint bone behind, so we had to lay him off and it took a bit of time to get him right coming back again. That’s why he was out late at Newcastle really. Pocklington seems to have come good now though, he’s well in himself so we’re going back to York.” 

Pocklington is a half-brother to the talented York scorer Doctor Khan Junior and his dam was none other than Ladies Are Forever (a Monsieur Bond mare) who gave Oldroyd some of his biggest days as a trainer, winning Redcar’s Two-Year-Old Trophy in 2010 and the Group 3 Summer Stakes at York in 2011, 2013, and 2014. 

“Touchwood, they’ve all been decent out of Ladies Are Forever, and I’ve always thought that Pocklington was a potential Listed/Group 3 performer. It is simply the setbacks that have held him back.” 

“We’ve been unfortunate with him in various big field York handicaps (Sky Bet Dash and Sky Bet Constantine), so we thought we’d have another go in a Listed race. At the Ebor Festival, they raced all week on one side, and then in his race they came towards the stands’ side, and he was drawn low. You do need a luck in those maximum-field handicaps.” 

Since returning to the training ranks in 2021, Oldroyd has built steadily. 2021 and 2022 were blank in terms of winners but the trend has been an upward one since, 2023 and 2024 yielding 16 winners collectively, and 2025 being a fine year with 12 winners from 43 runners, a most impressive 29% strike-rate. 

“The horses have stayed healthy and virus free which is a major help. We haven’t got a big string as it is. We have a lot of young horses who haven’t run yet, most of whom were bloody big two-year-olds, massive!” 

“Charlie (Bond) is a patient owner; he does give you the chance to give a horse time. If you get at a horse when they’re still maturing, you create problems with them whereas if you leave them to develop you have more of a chance of keeping them right.” 

“I haven’t got a lot of pressure on me as a trainer to be fair. Charlie understands and just lets you bring the horses along when they’re ready.” 

“I still have a few good young horses - three-year-olds - to come through, ones who haven’t seen the track yet. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to run them on turf before the end of the season. They’re all nice horses; they just need time.”